Mud-chamber.



UNr'rED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID NEALE, OF FORT CALHOUN, NEBRASKA.

MUD-CHAMBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,572, dated December 23, 1902.

Application filed January 23, 1901. Serial No. 44,487. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID NEALE, residing at Fort Oalhoun, in the county of Washington and State of Nebraska, have invented certain useful Improvements in Mud-Chambers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention relates to an improvement in 'permeable cells forming mud-chambers adapted to be used in building moles, dikes, or dams to be placed in streams to reduce the width of the same and to direct and control its flow to prevent the scour of its bed and guard against caving in of its banks.

In carrying out the object of my invention I provide a light portable cell of permeable material and of any suitable shape, which cell has one open end, the remaining sides of the cell being entirely closed.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown in Figure l a perspective view of one of my cells. Fig. 2 shows a simple method of uniting the side sills and transverse bars, while Fig. 3 shows an end view of a cell which is hollow, but triangular in cross-section.

As has been set forth, the aim of my invention is to provide a structure of permeable material open at one end, which may be sunk or otherwise lowered into a river and which gradually becomes filled with silt and other heavy drift material within the river, and so forms a solid compact mass in course of time suiicient to oder a lasting obstruction to the water-current.

In following out the aim of my invention I use two counterpart side sills A A and two similar sills B, in the drawings but one of these sills being shown. The sills A A are connected by means of a number of transverse slats or boards a, and the counterpart sills B are united by means of a series of transverse slats c, as is shown more clearly in Fig. l. These sills A and B and the slats a and c form two sides, which are united by means of the rods 2 2, these rods 2 connecting the transverse slats a and c and the rods l l, which extend through the sills and slats and form a holder or support, as it were, for

` B and the permeable material between the rods l and 2. In Fig. 2 I have shown a simple method of connecting the sills by means of these rods 1 and 2, which are slotted at the ends and are provided with suitable wedges e', which secure the framework sufficient to form a permeable structure, which is sunk by any suitable means into the river to gradually iill up and form a solid chamber.

If desired, the cells may be made threecornered in providing a number of framepieces 3 toforxn a triangle, which are united at the ends by means of suitable strap-iron, as is shown at 4, upon which frame-pieces 3 the brush or other material is packed, the material being secured to these triangular frame-pieces 3 by means of the outer slats 5, these slats being united by means of suitable sills 6, which extend from one framesection to the other. Upon the outside these frame pieces or sections 5 are secured by means of the strap-iron bindings 7. This structure is exactly like the one just described, With the exception that it is triangular instead of being square. These cells in order to be strengthened later may be provided with encircling wire-sections y to increase the strength.

It will be noticed that the cells herewith shown are open at one end or have one side removed, while all the remaining sides are closed. In closing the ends the brush is projected beyond the same and closed by means of the wire strand as is shown in Fig. 1. These cells may be made of any suitable size or length and form permeable units or elements, which may be united to form mats or fascines, which are secured in silt-bearing streams to become lled and solid within the IOO course of time, so as to form a permanent one end and having the opposite remaining and solid obstruction within the current. end closed as and for the purpose set forth.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by DAVID NEALE 5 Letters Patent, is- In presence of `A cell comprising a suitable structure of GEORGE W. SUES,

permeable material said cell being open ab l R. J. DAVENPORT. 

